SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 1998--"So what's the next
billion dollar product," an individual investor asked the biotech fund
manager?
That question was posed to Kurt von Emster, portfolio manager of
Franklin Biotechnology Discovery Fund (NASDAQ:FBDIX), at last
weekend's Informed Investors Biotechnology Forum in San Francisco. As
one might imagine, the room was very quiet as attendees strained to
hear the answer.
"I actually got asked that on CNBC and I had no idea what to
answer," von Emster replied. "But I think Inhale Therapeutics is
really as close as you are going to get to a billion dollar type of
product because insulin is already a $1.5 billion market and they are
just redeveloping insulin. Inhale has very compelling data that shows
that inhaling insulin is just as effective as as injecting insulin ...
and it is a lot easier to breathe in a drug than poke it through your
abdomen."
Inhale Therapeutics (NASDAQ:INHL) is one of 13 biotech/medtech
companies whose executives will give analyst-style presentations at
the Informed Investors San Diego Biomedical Forum from 8:30 a.m.-5:45
p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Mission Valley Radisson. Presenting for
Inhale will be its founder, John Patton, the company's Vice President
of Research, and a world-renowned expert in the delivery of peptides
and proteins.
In addition to the 13 companies, attendees will hear the latest
developments and get expert perspective in biotech/medtech from three
nationally prominent industry figures -- Jim McCamant, Dr. Alex Arrow
and Michael Yellen.
The cost to attend the full day is $40 prepaid, or $55 at the
door. The cost for the morning or afternoon sessions alone is $25
prepaid, or $40 at the door (space available). Audio tapes are
available. For the complete set of all companies and presenters (9
cassettes), the cost is $83.50 plus $5.95 shipping/handling. For
either the morning or afternoon session, the cost is $45 plus $3.95
shipping/handling. Call 800/992-4683 to register, order tapes or get
more information. For information on Informed Investors, visit the
website at www.informedinvestors.com.
The morning program (8:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.), featuring McCamant
as the keynote speaker, is devoted to biotechnology. The afternoon
session begins at 1 p.m. with a keynote address by Dr. Arrow. Yellen
is the concluding keynote speaker at 5 p.m
McCamant, the keynote speaker closing the morning session, is
editor of Medical Technology Stock Letter. He is generally regarded as
one of the nation's foremost experts on biotech and pharmaceutical
stocks.
Dr. Arrow, is Vice President/Research at Wedbush Morgan
Securities in Los Angeles. His concentration is Life Sciences with an
emphasis in medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and
health care industries. Dr. Arrow spent three years working in
biomaterials laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
redesigning an artificial skin product for burn patients and also held
a surgical residency.
Yellen is lead portfolio manager for the AIM Global Health Care
Funds (NASDAQ:GGHCX), formerly GT Global, with approximately $1
billion under management. Among the best health care fund managers in
the business, Yellen has produced returns of more than 23 percent
annually since taking the reins of the funds in 1994.
Executives presenting are: Virgil Thompson, CEO, Cytel Corp.
(NASDAQ:CYTL); Jane Green, Senior Director Corporate
Communications/Investor Relations, Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ISIP)
John Monahan, CEO, Avigen (NASDAQ:AVGN); Brian Stump, VP/Clinical
Research, and Brad Goodwin, VP/Finance, Genentech; Andrew Wiseman,
Director of Business Development, La Jolla Pharmaceutical
(NASDAQ:LJPC); Gwen Rosenberg, Senior Director of Corp.
Communications, Alliance Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:ALLP); Ron Bourquin,
CFO, Cardima (NASDAQ:CRDM); Spencer Allen, CFO, Medical Science
Systems (NASDAQ:MSSI); Dean Constantine, CEO, Zevex International
(AMEX:ZVX); Liz Davila, Executive Vice President and COO, VISX, Inc.
(NASDAQ:VISX); Jim Clouser, CEO, SteriGenics International
(NASDAQ:STER); and James Chamberlain, CEO, BioSource International
(NASDAQ:BIOI).
Informed Investors also organized the July 26 Biotech Forum in
San Francisco. Keynote speakers were von Emster and Peter Freudenthal,
senior biotech analyst for BA Robertson Stephens. Presenting companies
there were: Protein Design Labs (NASDAQ:PDLI); Sangstat Medical
(NASDAQ:SANG); Megabios (NASDAQ:MBIO); Sugen (NASDAQ:SUGN); Sequus
(NASDAQ:SEQU); SunPharm (NASDAQ:SUNP) and Shaman Pharmaceuticals
(NASDAQ:SHMN). Audio tapes (five-cassette set) are available for $45
plus $3.95 shipping/handling.
Since 1993, Informed Investors has featured scores of quality
companies and industry experts at its Forums. Informed Investors
represents individual investors who collectively hold an estimated
$2 billion in investable assets.
CONTACT: Informed Investors
Sean Finnigan, Steve Chanecka or Tim Quast, 916/448-8222
or 800/992-4683
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY BANKING
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